As Thanksgiving approaches, the City of Las Cruces has announced its holiday schedule, which includes closures of most city offices on Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29, in observance of the festivities. Critical emergency services like police and fire departments will continue to operate normally, ensuring public safety is not compromised during the holiday period.
Several community facilities including A Fielder Memorial Safe Haven, the Youth Development & Diversion Learning Center, and the Frank O’Brien Papen Community Center will be taking a break for Turkey Day, and the following Friday, the closures extend to important recreational and cultural hotspots such as East Mesa Recreation Center and the Las Cruces Museum System, which encompasses several museums including the Branigan Cultural Center and the Museum of Art while the city's public libraries and the Rio Grande Theatre will also not be open to the public, these closures present a quiet period for the residents looking for community services or a dose of culture during the holiday. Similarly, both the Las Cruces Regional Aquatic Center and the Las Cruces Natatorium will shut their doors on the day of thanks, and the Meerscheidt Recreation Center too will be closed. Roadrunner Transit services will not operate on Thanksgiving Day, and all Senior Programs facilities and services will follow suit with closures on both the holiday and Friday after.
However, the city has detailed adjusted schedules for essential services to accommodate the holiday disruptions. According to the City of Las Cruces, the Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule for 2024 indicates that curbside recycling collection originally scheduled for Thanksgiving Day will now take place on the following day. The collection scheduled for Friday will proceed as planned. Additionally, the Foothills Landfill will be open for a few hours on Saturday, November 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., providing an opportunity for post-celebration clean-up.
Moreover, residents can expect some reprieve as the RoadRUNNER Transit and Dial-A-Ride services will be back in action on Friday with a Saturday level of service from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and for those looking to shed off their Thanksgiving feast, the Meerscheidt Recreation Center will reopen for a few hours on Friday afternoon, and the Las Cruces Natatorium will also be available on Friday morning for early birds wanting to dive into the pool from 7:30 a.m. to noon. The city's waste management services will adjust with the City Solid Waste Residential Collection and Grappler Collections running their usual route through Wednesday, November 27, and aiming to complete any overflow from Friday’s collections on Saturday beginning at 6 a.m., the commercial collection will also see a revised schedule to accommodate the holiday, ensuring the city remains tidy despite the holiday disruption.
